Shoe-rack.



E. F. O'BRIEN.

SHOE RACK.

APPLICATION FlLED FEB. 6, 1914.

1,237 945, Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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E. F. O'BRIEN.

SHOE RACK. APPLICATION FILED FEBpb, I914.

1,237,945 9 Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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. E. F/OBRIEN.

SHOE RACK. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 6. I914.

- Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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I b Edward F OBrien, I

EDWARD F. OBRIEN, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS,

SHOE-BACK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

Application filed February 6, 1914. Serial No. 817,036.

To all whom it may concern:

,Be it known that I, EDWARD F. OBnrnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Shoe-Racks, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to shoe racks and has for its objects to providea novel metal shoe rack which is comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture, which is light but strong and rigid, and also to provide anovel rack having a knock-down construction so that when the rack is notin use it can be knocked down and folded up and thus stored in a compactspace.

In order to give an understanding of my invention I will first describesome embodiments thereof which have been selected as illustrative of theinvention and will then point out the novel features in the appendedclaims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a shoe rackembodying my invention;

Fi 2 is an end view on a reduced scale;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through one end of the rack;

Fig. 1- is a perspective detail view of one of the posts of the enduprights showing the shelf support;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line g y, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view showing one corner of the bed of therack with one of the posts of the end upright;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lower end of one of the posts of anend upright;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the anchor ing block shown in theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through the connection between the endupright and the base;

Figs. 10 and 11 are details of a diflerent embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a sectional perspective View of the top cross piece of theend upright;

Fig. 13 is an end view of a pin rack embodying my invention;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line aa, Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a section on the line bb, Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary perspective vlew showing the manner in whichthe pinsupporting bars are secured in place;

Fig. 17 is a section on substantially the line cc, Fig. 18;

Fig. 18 is a section on the line (Z-(Z, Fig. 17

Fig. 19 is a sectional view showing one way of looking the shelves tothe shelf sup ports.

My improved rack comprises a base 1 of novel construction, end uprights2 also of novel construction secured to the base, and shoe-supportingmembers which may be either in the form of shelves if the rack is ashelf rack, or in the form of pins if the rack is a pin rack, whichshoe-supporting members are sustained by the end-uprights 2.

The base 1 will preferably be provided with casters 3 so that the rackmay be readily moved about, as usual in similar constructions.

The base 1 is herein shown as made of angle-iron, it having the twoangle-iron side pieces a connected at their ends by the angleiron endpieces 5. The side pieces a may be further connected together at anynumber of places by cross bars 6, and I have shown braces 7 at thecorners for stiffening the structure.

The end uprights 2 are also preferably, although not necessarily, madeof angle-iron. lVhere the rack is a shelf rack, as herein illustrated, Ipropose to make each end upright with two posts, one at each corner ofthe rack, which posts are suitably connected together. If the rack is apin rack, then each end upright will comprise one or more posts to whichthe pin-sustaining cross-bars are connected. In the illustratedembodiment of the invention where the shoe rack is in the form of ashelf rack, each end upright comprises the two posts 8 herein shown asof angle-iron construction, said posts 8 being connected together atsuitable intervals by cross pieces 9, and if desired, being braced bybraces 10. At the upper end the posts areconnected together by across-bar which constitutes a handle. This crossbar is formed from aniron strip 100 which isincased in a wooden member 11 that serves to givea circular crosssectional shape to" the part, thus constituting it asort of handle.

The shelves 12 may be of any suitable or usual construction and they areherein shown as removably'sustained by shelf supports 13 secured to theposts 8.- These shelf supports are in the nature of flanges extendinglaterally from the posts on which the shelves rest, and each shelf isprovided with a pin 1a in each corner thereof, which pin extends throughan aperture 15 in the shelf support. The shelf supports can convenientlybe formed of pieces of angle-iron secured to one leg of the posts 8, asshown best in Fig; 1. When the shelves are in place the end of eachshelf is received between the two parallel legs of the posts of theupright, while the end edge of the shelf abuts against the other legs ofthe posts that are in alinement with each other, as clearly seen in Fig.3. The locking pins 14 extending through the apertures 15 of the shelfsupports tie each shelf to the end upright, and by this construction theshelves constitute a means for tying the uprights together andpreventing them from spreading.

, If'the rackis, a shelf rack, as shown in Figs. land 2, I propose tomake the shelves of wood, each shelf comprising wooden end and sidepieces 120 that are connected at their corners by sheet metal cornerpieces 16. These sheet metal corner pieces inclose the corners of theshelf and not only hold the side and end pieces together, but also serveas a pro tective casing to prevent the shelves from becoming injuredwhile being removed from or inserted into the rack and while in use.

One feature of the present invention relates to the manner in which theend uprights are detachably connected to the base so as to permit theuprights to be folded downand removed from the base when the structureis to be knocked down. As herein shown each post of the upright isprovided with an open-ended L-shaped slot in one flange thereof, and thebase isprovided with an anchoring pin adapted to engage said slot, theconstruction being such that when the post is in its normal uprightposition it is firmlv locked in place by the slot, but can be foldeddown against the base, in which position it can be withdrawn from theanchoring pin. A simple construction is shown inFigs. 10 and 11whereinthe legll' of each post 8 is formed with an open-ended L- shapedslot 18 and the side pieces 4: of the base are each provided with ananchoring member 20 secured to the base at each corner thereof, whichanchoring member forms with the vertical leg of the angle-iron piece 4.a space or groove adapted to receive the flange 17 of the post and theanchoring pin 19 is secured in this anchoring block and in the verticalleg of the side piece 4:. The lower end of the flange 17 is beveled, asat 21, in order to assist in bringing the parts into their properposition when the rack is set up, as will be presently described. Thenthe rack is thus set up, the leg 23 of the post 8 comes on the inside ofthe vertical leg ofthe end rail 5, and the lower end of th'e'post restson the horizontal leg of the side piece of the base, as shown in Fig.10, and the anchoring pin 19 occupies the lower end of the L-shaped slot18. By means of this construction the posts are firmly secured to thebase, but yet they can be readily removed by folding them down into ahorizontal position and moving them slightly to bring the pin 19opposite the open end of the slot, this operation being permitted by thebeveled end 21 of the flange 17. Similarly the end pieces can be placedin position by first laying them in a horizontal position and thenentering the anchoring pins 19 into the open ends of the slots 18,v andthen swinging the uprights up into their vertical position. During thisswinging movement the beveled end 21 engagesthe bottom of the bed, andforces the uprights upwardly so as to bring the anchoring pin 19 intothe lower end of the slot 18, as shown.

I In Figs. 6 to 9 I have shown another embodiment of my inventionwherein the anchoring block has a slightly diflerent construction. Inthis embodiment the anchoring block is shown at 25 and it is providedwith a groove 26 and a shoulder 27. The post 8 is provided with anadditional flange 28 which is also provided with an L-shaped slot 180corresponding in shape and position to the slot 18 in (the leg 17 of thepost. The leg 17 sets between the anchoring block 25 and theupright legof the, side sill 4, while the flange 28 occupies the groove 26 of theanchoring block. The anchoring pin 19 eX- tends through both slots 18and 180, and when the upright is in proper position the end edge 22 ofthe leg 23 of the post rests on and engages the shoulder 27 of theanchoring block. With this construction the upright can be swung downinto folded position and removed fro-m the rack, or can be replaced inoperative position in the same manner as described with reference toFigs. 10 and 11. In both embodiments of the invention the end uprightsare held from movement longitudinally of the bed by the engaging of theanchoring pins 19 in the slot 18 and also by the vertical walls of theend pieces 5 of the bed, and because the lower edges of the legs engagethe base when the uprights are in operative position it is impossiblefor said uprights to become disconnected from the base except by beingswung down into horizontal position.

I have provided herein detachable braces 30 for assisting in holding theuprights in their vertical position. These braces are shown as pivotallyconnected at 31 to the posts of the uprights and as detachably connectedto the base 1. One simple construction is that shown in Fig. 6 whereinthe lower end of each brace is formed with a notch 32 adapted to engagea pin 33 carried by the base, said brace being held in its interlockingengagement with the pin by means of a projection or stop 3st extendingfrom the vertical wall of the angle-iron side piece 1. The pin 33 isshown as screwthreaded and as provided with a nut 35 which when screwedup firmly holds the brace in position. To disconnect the brace, the nutis backed olf sufliciently to allow the lower end of the brace to bemoved later ally out of engagement with the stop 3% when the brace canbe swung upwardly ofi from the pin 33 and thus disconnected from thebase.

When the rack is set up with the shelves in place the uprights 2 areheld in position not only by the braces 30, but also by the shelves 12which serve to tie the uprights to gether and make the structure a rigidone.

I will preferably make the anchoring pins 19 in the form ofscrew-threaded clamping bolts to which clamping nuts 50 are applied sothat after the rack is set up the nuts 50 can be tightened, thusclamping the lower ends of the posts 8 firmly into the anchoring blocksand holding the parts rigid. In the practical manufacture of racksembodying my invention the flange 17 will normally have a suflicientlyloose fit in the space between the upright portion of the angle-iron 4tandthe clamping block so that the end piece can be readily placed inposition or removed therefrom. By making the anchoring pins in the formof clamping bolts, any loose play is taken up and theparts can be firmlyclamped in position after the rack is set up.

I have herein shown the side pieces and end pieces of the base as facedwith wooden wear or buffer strips 39. These buffer strips extend outbeyond the edge of the uprights and are the parts of the rack which willcome into engagement with a door jamb or any other article as the rackis being moved from place to place. By using the wooden wear strips orbuffer pieces the rack can be moved freely about without injury to doorj ambs or other articles because the engagement of the wooden wearstrips with any article will not injure the latter, as would be the caseif these parts were of iron. Moreover, where the racks are placed closetogether the only portions of the racks which will be in engagement willbe the wooden strips 89, and these will hold the racks far enough apartso that the shoes on either one or two adjacent racks cannot be injuredby coming in contact with those on the other rack or with any part ofthe other rack as the racks are moved about. I will preferably make thestrips 39 beveled somewhat at their ends, as at d0.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 11 the base 1 ofthe rack is provided with an end piece 5 at each end thereof, which endpiece connects the side pieces 4.

In Figs. 15, 17 and 18, I have shown an embodiment of the inventionwherein the end pieces of the base are omitted and the side pieces 4:are connected together by crosspieces 51 situated some distance from theends. Where this embodiment of the invention is employed, the ends ofthe side pieces will be protected in a slightly different way from thatshown in Fig. 6, each end piece being provided with a bumper portion 52which is shaped to overlie the ends of the wooden wear strips or bufierpieces 39 at the sides of the base. l/Vhile these bumper members 52 maybe formed in any suitable way, I will preferably construct them as partof the anchoring block 25, each of the latter being formed with anextension which constitutes the bufier member 52. The construction shownin Figs. 17 and 18 is somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 6 and 9,that is, the anchoring block 25 has the general shape shown in Figs. 8and 9, but it is extended at its end beyond the shoulder 27 to form thebumper portion 52, and this bumper portion has the lateral extension 53which overlies the end of the wooden bufier member 39, as seen in Fig.18. This bumper member is the part of the rack which strikes or engagesan object which stands in the way of the rack during its movement, andbecause of the extension 53 which overlies the end of the woodenmembers, any blow against the end of the rack will come on the bumpermember and not directly on the end of the wooden wear strip. The latteris thus prevented from any possible injury.

I will preferably provide means for looking the shelves to the shelfsupports. In Fig. 5 this is accomplished by means of nuts 5% on the pins14. In Fig. 19, each of the pins depending from the shelf is providedwith a locking lever 55 which is pivoted to the pin, as at 56, and ispreferably provided with a projection 57 adapted to engage the underside of the shelf-supporting plate 13 when the locking lever is swunginto its horizontal position. The aperture 15 in the shelf support '13is somewhat larger than the pin 14 so as to permit the pin with itsattached locking lever to be inserted there through when the lockinglever is in its inoperative position inline with the pin 14:. After theparts have been assembled the lockingmember may be turned into theposition shown in Fig. 19 with the projection 57 bearing against theunderside of the shelf support 13, thus locking the shelf in position,and the locking lever may be held in such position by any suitablemeans, as by the retaining loop 58 secured to the underside of theshelf. I

My invention is also applicable to pin rack, as shown in Figs. 13, 14cand 16. In this embodiment of the, invention the end upright 2 of therack has secured thereto one or more vertically-extending channcl shapedmembers 60 which support the pinsupporting bars 61 which carry the usualshoe-supporting pins 62. The end of each bar will preferably be providedwith the rib or extension 63 adapted to fit between the sides of thechannel member 60, the extension on each bar 61 being properly shapedand placed so as to give the bar the desired inclined position, The barsare held in place by having the extension 63 clamped between the sidesof the channel member, and this is accomplished by employing a clampingbolt which extends through the sides of theclamping member and isadapted to I draw them together with suflicient force to clamp themagainst'the extension 63.

In Fig. 13 the pin-supporting bars 62 are all arranged in the samevertical plane, and

therefore may all be supported by a single channel-iron member 60 ateach end of the rack. However, if these pin-si'ippo'rting bars 61 weregiven a staggered arrangement, as is sometimes the case, then twochannel iron members 60 at each end of the rack would be required. Thesechannel-iron members are shown as secured to the crossp'ieces 64: whichtie together the posts 8 of the end piece.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. In a shoe rack, the combination with a basemember, of end uprights, each having an open-ended L-shaped slot in itslower end, and anchoring pins carried by the base and adapted to engagesaid slots, said slots permitting theupright's to be removed from thebase by being turned down into horizontal position and shelves removablysustained by the uprights.

2. In a shoe lack, the combination with a base member, of end uprights,each having an open-ended L-"shaped slo't'in its lowerend,

anchoring pins carried the base and adapted to engage said slots, saidslots permitting the uprights to be removed from the base by beingturned down into horizontal position, shelves removably sustained by theuprights, and braces 'pivotally secured to the uprights and detachablysecured to the base. j

v 3. In a shoe rack, the combination with a base member formed ofconnected angleiron side pieces and end pieces, of an anchoring blocksecured to each end of the base piece, an anchoring pin carried by saidblock, uprights each provided with a post having a flange formed with anopen-ended L-shap'ed slot through which said "anchoring pin extends,said slot permitting the upright to be removed by being turned into ahorizontal position, and shelves removably sustained by the uprights.

4. In a shoe rack, the combination with a base member, of end uprights,each having an open-ended L-shaped slot in its'lower end, anchoring pinscarried by the base and adapted to engage said slots, said slotspermitting the uprights to be removed from'the base by being turned downinto horizontal position, shelves removably sustained by the uprights,braces pivoted to the uprights and provided with notches at their lowerends, pins carried by the base and entering said notches, and stopprojections engaging the braces and holding them in interlockingengagement with the pins. I

5. In a shoe rack, the combination with a' base member, of end uprights,each having an openended L-shaped' slot in its lower end, anchoring pinscarried by the base and adapted to engage said slots, said slots permitting the uprights to'be removed from the base by being turned downinto horizontal position, shelves removably sustained by the uprights,braces pivoted to the uprights and previded with notches at their lowerends, pins carried by the base and entering said notches, and stopprojections engaging the braces and holding them in interlockingengagement with the pins, said pins being longer than the projectionswhereby the braces may be disconnected by moving them longitudinally ofthe pins until they are free from the projections; I

6. In a shoe rack, the combination with a base member, of end uprightseach presenting an angle-iron post provided at its lower end with anopen-ended L-shaped slot, an anchoring pin carried by the base memberand occupying said slot and about which the upright can be turned, saidbase member having'a stop shoulder engaged by the lower end of the postwhen the latter is in operative position and which prevents turningmovement thereof in onedirection, braces pivot'ally connected to theuprights and detachably connected to the base memher, and shelvesremovably sustained by the uprights.

7. In a shoe rack, the combination With a base member, of end uprightseach comprising two connected posts, each post having at its lower end avertica11y-extending flange formed With an open-ended L-shaped slot,anchoring pins carried by the base and engaging said slots, said slotspermitting the uprights to be removed from the base upon being turneddown into a horizontal position and shoe-supporting members removablysustained by the uprights.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD F. OBRIEN.

Witnesses:

BERTHA F. HEUsER, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

